Student life

How To Eat Healthy on a Budget

Last week we interviewed Bodieboost author, and weight-loss guru, Charlotte Willems, to see how students can exercise to help boost their memory. Since we got such an enthusiastic response, we’ve got some more tips from Charlotte on how students on a budget can eat more healthy. Be sure to comment on our Facebook post <link> to enter to win the Bodieboost Cookbook!

Tip 1: Create a weekly menu

It’s really easy to incorporate a healthy lifestyle on a budget by making a weekly menu for yourself. I did it on a €30 budget, and you can do this, too and eat healthy. Make a list of vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates, meats, and healthy snacks that you want to eat that week. For example, if you buy a sack of potatoes, make sure to incorporate potatoes every night into your meal. Be sure you finish what you’ve bought.

Tip 2: Eat more vegetarian

Because meat is a bit more expensive, try not to eat meat every day. This is also really healthy! There are alternatives to meat like lentils, whole grain rice, cous cous, beans—and this stuff is really affordable. Also, incorporate cheese and eggs to get all the protein you need. In this way you can alternate one night with a meat dish, the next night vegetarian, and so on.

Tip 3: Shop smart

If you make these lists and week menus, you can really buy specific stuff, and check the low budget stuff. You’ll buy with a purpose. Check the weekly discounts at your supermarket, or consider going to the market, which is cheaper.

Tip 4: Don’t forget your study snacks!

People think that you don’t need carbohydrates if you’re trying to lose weight, but actually, it’s really important to eat rice, cous cous, and grains—your brain really needs that. Thinking really takes a lot of carbohydrates in your brain—so you’ll need that if you’re studying. That’s why when you study you might get hungrier. When I was studying, I always took snacks during the day, and ate really great, so I didn’t have low dips. I lost weight or stayed on weight. I felt really great because I didn’t eat crappy stuff. Normally, you think, “Ohhh I don’t want to go to the supermarket because I’m in my study flow”, so you order a pizza. But, planning ahead by bringing healthy snacks with you, will help to ensure that you don’t eat that junk.